Apparatus for reclaiming packing waste and the oil therefrom



Marsh 3,1936. H 5 SMH-H APPARATUS FOR RECLAIMING PACKING WASTE AND THE OIL THEREFROM Filed July 5, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY H. E. SMITH March 3, 1936.

v APPARATUS FOR RECLAIMING PACKING WASTE AND THE OIL THEREFROM INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR RECLAIMING PACKING WASTE AND THE OIL THEREFROM Harry E. Smith, White Plains, N. Y., assignor to The 'New York Central Railroad Company,-a corporation of New York Application July 5, 1934, Serial No. 733,916

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an apparatus for reclaiming packing waste, such as journal box packing waste and like packing waste, and the oil therefrom, for further use either in reclaimed '5, condition or by admixture respectively with new or' fresh waste and oil.

The object of the invention is to provide a sim ple, reliable and efficient apparatus whereby the waste and oil may be readily and economically 10,;- reclaimed with an elimination of steps and devicesheretofore required for the purpose.

-In the accompanying drawings,-

Fig. l is a schematic plan view, with parts in section, showing my improved apparatus for car- 15 frying the invention into practical effect.

Fig. 2 is a similar view in elevation looking toward the oil side of the apparatus and the saturation vats.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 looking to- 20 ward the waste renovating means.

In carrying my invention into practice, drums of inbound, dirty journal box packing are lifted by an overhead hoist or other suitable means and dumped onto a receiving table where the 25 packing is sorted roughly, by hand, to remove the coarser impurities. Thence, the packing is thrown loosely into a first washing vat 2 of a series of washing vats 2, 3 and 4, which is filled with comparatively dirty car oil heated by a sub- 30 merged steam coil 5. Therein the packing is allowed to soak for a time, meanwhile being worked in the oil by a hand hook, so as to'loosen up and wash out a certain amount of the impurities and oil therein. The packing is then 35 lifted by a hand fork or by power lifted tongs and directly transferred from the vat to the second washing vat 3 without previous drainage. The packing is then similarly put through the second washing vat 3, which contains a submerged heating coil 6, and then removed therefrom and transferred to the vat 4 in which it is again similarly worked, this vat containing a submerged steam coil 1. The vat 3 contains somewhat cleaner oil than the vat 2, While the 4 vat 4 contains somewhat cleaner oil than the vat 3. The coils in these vats are supplied with steam from a suitable source through a steam supply line or lines 8. The working of the packing successively in the vats 2, 3 and 4 gradually 50 and progressively removes therefrom the dirt and other foreign materials and a substantial proportion of the original oil therein, its place being taken by the relatively clean oil from the store in the vat 4. After the packing is worked through-the third washing vat'4 it is lifted therefrom and deposited upona draining shelf or pan 9, where it is allowed to remain sufficiently long toadmit of the gravityseparation therefrom and return to vat '4, by drainage, of a considerable part ofthe free oil carried thereby. By the end then transferred into a centrifuge basket'stand- 5.

ing on a balancer I3. This balancer comprises a support which allows correct distribution of the load in the centrifuge basket. It stands in a pan II having an oil drain outlet l2. When loaded, the basket is removed to a centrifuge I3, 10

and revolved therein to remove as much oil as possible from the waste.

The oil in vats 2 and 3 is keptat a temperature of 180-200 F., well below the boiling point of water. The greater part of the water in the packing is settled out in vat "2, and is drawn off to a sewer through a valve controlled pipe l4 leading from the bottomof the vat. The oil in vat 4 is kept at a temperature of 230-25'0 F., and the water remaining in the packing after treatment in the vats 2 and 3 is boiledoff in this vat 4. The vats 2, 3 and 4 are preferably arranged with the table I in longitudinal alinernent with each other and the table or pan'9 preferably extends at one side of-and parallel with the table I and series of vats and is properly sloped in the direction of the vat -4 for-the drainage of oil by gravity thereto. At one end the shelf or table 9 is provided with an oil-delivery spout-or channel I5 leading to the vat 4, while at its opposite end the said table or shelf is provided with a chute or the like l6 for delivery of the drained waste to the centrifuge basket on thebalancer I 0.

Any surplus of oil contained in vat 2 above a predeterminedworking level escapes via an ov'er-- flow H, to a pipe l8, which leads to an unheated, dirty oil sump IQ, of small capacity, positioned below the floor level. Similarly the surplus oil contained in vat 3 discharges back into the: vat 2 via an overflow 20, while the surplus 'oil in vat 40 4 discharges back through an overflow 2! into vat 3, the oil removed from the packing thus traveling back to the vat 2 to keep the oil'in the vats 3 and 4 in a comparatively clean condition, while the removed dirt and other foreign particles are deposited to progressive degrees in the tanks 2, 3 and 4. The supply of oil'in the system of vats is replenished as required with fresh or clean oil, that is, settled oil, from unheated, settling tanks 22, 23 and 24, such replenishing oil being supplied to the vat 4. This replenishing oil flows through a supply line '25, having valve connections 26 with the respective tanks, to a hydrant 21, from which it is draw-nintoa bucket, 5 the bucket being transported over an over-"head monorail line 28 to the vat 4. Water, sediment and dirty oil may be drawn periodically, "or whenever required, from-the bottoms of vats 2,3 and l, through valved pipes 29 to pipe 18 and thencefit) It will be seen from the foregoing that the waste is first washed in comparatively dirty or impure heated oil in the primary vat or tank 2, 7

whereby a certain proportion of the oil content and foreign materials in the waste are removed therefrom, the waste is then transferred to and washed in heated oil of a somewhat higher degree of purity in the intermediate or secondary vat 3, wherein it is further cleaned, and that the waste is then transferred to and finally washed in the heated oil of a still higher degree of purity in the last vat 4 in which it is cleaned to the finally desired degree for re-saturation with pure oil for use as reclaimed packing. The oil in vats 2 and'3 is heated, as hereinbefore stated, to a suitable cleansing temperature of from to 200 F;, at' which temperature an efficient cleaning action with the removal of -a certain proportion of the moisture content of the packing is obtained, while the oil in the vat 4is heated to a temperature of from 230 to 250 F., at which temperature a final removal of dirt and oil from the waste is effected and all or substantially all of the moisture remaining in the waste after treatment in the tanks 2 and 3 driven off. By this stage-by-stage treatment of the waste in a series of heated oil baths of different degrees of purity, beginning with a bath of comparatively dirty oil and ending with a bath of pure or comparatively pure oil, and by replenishing the cleansing oil inrfhe vats in the manner described, substantial and important advantages are gained. The stage-by-stage treatment of the waste in baths of successively increasing oil purity, of which any number may be used, enables even very dirty waste or mixed Waste soiled to different degrees to be cleaned to the exact extent desired so that uniform cleaning of all waste in any condition in which it comes to the washer may be effected in a highly efficient and economical manner. As stated, the oil is replenished, periodically or as required, in the vat 4 by the addition thereto of pure oil or oil of a. certain high degree of purity, while the oil in the intermediate vat 3 is replenished therefrom by overflow through the connection 2|, and the oil in the vat 2 is replenished from the vat 3 by overflow through the connection 20, the vat 2 being drained of impure oil, the place of which is taken by purer oil from the vat 3, through the overflow connection l1 leading to the dirty oil sump 19. By this means an automatic replenishing of the oil in each vat is obtained by the addition of purer oil from the succeeding vat, the replenishing oil flowing from the final vat to the primary vat in a direction opposite to the direction of progress of the waste, the discharge of oil from each vat occurring as a result of added increment, i. e., replenishing oil, increase of foreign matter removed from the waste, or bulk of waste during a washing action, causing displacement of the oil above its highest working level. The transfer of the waste from a preceding vat from which a portion of the oil has thus been displaced to a following vat will cause a similar overflow of oil thereinto from the following vat to take the place of the oil previously discharged from such preceding vat, so that an automatic gravital displacement of the oil is effected from vat to vat in inverse order to the travel of the waste as the washing action progresses. The addition of pure oil to the vat 4 may cause at any time according to quantity supplied, a displacement of oil therefrom into the preceding vat or vats, according to the condition of the level of the oil in such vats. This method of washing the waste and replenishing the vats with oil enables economy in the use of oil to be effected, inasmuch as the same oil is used throughout a series of operations, and it also obviates the necessity of the use of pumps, siphons, or other mechanical transfer devices for circulating the oil, and which are liable in action to stir up the refuse material in the bottoms of the vats and muddy the washing oil in the vats, so that the oil in which the waste is washed will always be maintained at the degrees of purity desired and established for the different washing actions. It will be evident, of course, that this method of replenishing the oil also ensures the maintenance of the oil in the vats at substantially the proper intended differential ratios, since the purer oil in one vat somewhat contaminated by a washing action, is displaced into the preceding vat containing washing oil of less purity and so on throughout theseries. This replenishing action further tends to secure economy in the use of steam supplied to the heating coils in the vats, inasmuch as the hotter oil discharged from the vat 4 into vat 3 and from the latter into the vat 2, assists in maintaining the oil in the latter-named vats at the intended temperatures, so that economy in the use of steam for heating the coils 5 and 6 is ensured. Other advantages of this method are that through the described arrangement of the vats, the washing actions may be successively carried out by direct transfer of the Waste from vat to vat, thus avoiding the necessity of transferring the waste any considerable distance through the air between spaced vats and causing slopping of the oil overthe floor or other surfaces or undue cooling of the waste from atmospheric exposure during successive washing treatments.

No oil is returned directly from. the sump I9 to any of the washing vats. From that sump, the oil received is automatically transferred by a pump 30 to an unheated dirty oil storage tank 3|, supported with its bottom higher than the tops of the washing vats 2, 3 and 4. From the dirty oil storage tank 3| the oil is transferred to the settling tanks 22, 23 and 24 via a dry-up'pan 32;

of a construction hereinafter described.

From the centrifuge l3 the basket of extracted waste is lifted and dumped onto the: wire-meshed top of one of two portable sorting tables 33 and 34, where it is thoroughly sorted and shaken by hand to remove knots, short threads and dirt. These portable tables 33 and 34 may be moved into and out of working position with relation to a tumbler 35, and said tables are designed to be used alternately in order to give waste resting thereon opportunity to cool. The temperature and moisture content, if any, of the waste on'the table 33 or 34 are brought, by the cooling action, to a condition such that no detachable moisture escapes from the waste during the tumbling action which follows: At the end of the cooling period the waste is transferred from the table 33 or 34 to and passed through the unenclosed slowly rotatable, unheated wire-meshtumbler 35, to fluff it up and complete the removal of short threads and residual dirt therefrom, which may be attained thereby without the assistance of air currents. From the tumbler the waste flows into a sheet metal box 36 and is then in a state ready for re-saturation.

In the operation of re-saturating the cleaned or renovated waste for use, enough clean waste to. make one drum of packing is weighed in a sheet through a pipe 40 to the drier pan 32.

metal scoop and placed in a wire-meshed saturation basket which is quickly lowered into an excess of hot oil in one of the saturation vats 31, 38 and 39. After saturation is completed, the basket is hoisted clear of the oil and the surplus oil allowed to drain therefrom. When the draining is nearly completed, or at any time previously, the basket is hung on a crane scale. When the pointer of the scale shows a weight in.- dicative of correct saturation, the basket of resaturated waste is dumped into a shipping drum and is ready for use in packing journal boxes. New waste may be saturated for use by the apparatus or for admixture with the renovated waste. In preparing the new waste, the waste is pulled out, shaken by hand and the over-length threads cut. The waste is then saturated in one of the saturation vats in the same manner as the renovated waste above-described.

The renovation of the used oil extracted from the waste is efiected in the following manner. From the vat 2 settled water may be drawn off to the sewer via pipe l4, as previously set forth. The dirty oil from vats 2, 3 and 4, balancer l and the centrifuge I3. all of which are connected with the drain pipe l8, collects through said pipe to the sump l9. From the sump Hi the dirty oil is delivered by the pump 30 to the overhead dirty oil tank 3|. From this tank the oil is transferred This pan is long and shallow and is provided in its bottom with a horizontally disposed steam coil 4| suitably supplied with steam from the steam supply source. The oil flows into one end of this pan through the pipe 40 and travels to the opposite end of the pan. In this pan the oil is subjected to heat of a sufficient degree to boil off any water, if there be any, which remains therein. From the pan 32 the oil flows through pipes 42 having controlling valves 43 therein to the settling tanks 22, 23 and 24, in which it remains quiet for several hours in order to allow all but the finest dirt to settle. The three tanks 22, 23 and 24 are filled, settled and drawn 01f or emptied in turn. A portion of this settled oil is returned to the washing vat 4 for a vat replenishing action, as previously described.

That portion of the settled oil in the tanks 22, 23 and 24, which is not withdrawn for replenishing the oil in the washing vats, is delivered to a constant level box 44 by an electric pump 45. This pump may be manually thrown into and out of action if desired, but is preferably automatically started and stopped by suitable switch mechanism actuated by a float in the box 44. From the constant level box 44 the oil flows through a superheater 46, which is heated by steam to raise the temperature of the oil to about 300 E, which greatly increases the fluidity of the oil. Thence the hot oil flows through a valve controlled pipe 41 into a pair of super-centrifuge machines 48 of any suitable type, working in parallel. These remove the remaining very finely divided dirt from the oil and vent any vapors,

7 thereby completing the renovation of the oil which is then conducted by gravity through a valve controlled pipe 49 to a storage tank 50. From this tank 50 the oil may be pumped by the pump to the resaturation vats 31, 38 and 39, for use therein, or the oil may first be mixed with other oils, manually supplied to the tank 50, by pumping it out of and then back into that tank by means of pump 5|, so that purified renovated oil may be rendered available for use. Any surplus renovated oil which can not be used immediately may be delivered by pump 5| and valved line 52 to an unheated storage tank (not shown) from which it may be supplied for use as occasion requires.

Sediment, including water, if any, and undrained oil accumulating in the settling tanks 22, 23 and 24 may be drawn off through valved line 53 into a filter 54 where the oil is recovered. The filtering medium used in filter 54 may be short thread waste supported on a wire mesh, the oil flowing through the filter by gravity.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, my improved method of renovating waste of the character described and the oil recovered therefrom will be readily understood without a further and extended description, and it will be seen that a method is provided whereby the waste may be readily and efiiciently treated to remove all coarse and foreign particles and to extract the oil therefrom, and the waste then re-saturated for further use, in an economical way. Also it will be seen that the invention provides an apparatus for efficiently and economically renovating the recovered used oil. The invention further provides a simple, reliable and efficient type of apparatus for the purpose, whereby the operation of recovering the waste and used oil and renovating the same for further use may be performed. By the use of this method and apparatus a number of the steps commonly employed in prior processes for these purposes are eliminated with a reduction in time and course of treatment and amount of working apparatus required. Railroads and other establishments using a large amount of waste for packing purposes may, therefore, reclaim the waste and oil for reuse at a substantial saving by the use of renovated waste and oil, and by the use of my invention effect a substantial saving in the renovating of these substances, in comparison with methods and apparatus for the purpose heretofore in use.

What I claim is:

In an apparatus for reclaiming used packing waste and the like, a series of washing vats arranged in following order and successively at increasing elevations between the first and last of the series, the first vat containing a body of washing oil of comparatively low purity and the following vats bodies of oil of increasingly higher purity each with respect to the other, in which bodies of oil differentially graded as to purity the waste is successively washed, means for heating the oil in the vats, a sump, connections between the bottoms of the vats and the sump for the drainage of deposited impurities from the vats to the sump, an overflow connection between the first vat of the series and the sump for the gravity discharge of oil rising above a predetermined washing level in said vat, and overflow replenishing connections between the upper portions of the vats of the series for the gravity d1scharge of oil above a washing level from each vat to a preceding vat, whereby each vat from the last to the first of the series is automatically replenished to maintain a working volume of oil therein and in such manner as to differentially maintain a predetermined ratio of purity of the oil in the respective vats.

HARRY E. SMITH. 

